Dragonflight Alpha/Beta General Discussion

[huth]

This is why I don't understand the rage against the sci-fi elements. Like we moved away from them but its always had a minor presence within the game.

It's not like that's even a relevant argument anyway. SciFi isn't a look, it's a theme, and it's the one closest to Fantasy to the point that there's barely any difference between them and a lot more overlap than many seem to realise. WarCraft is hardly the first to combine them, either, that's been commonplace since at least the early 20th century, if not before. Just look at Jules Verne and the like. Fantastical adventures with what would at the time have been cutting-edge scientific discoveries.

Overlapping the two is about as old as the genre.

[Chickat]

Even if ZM is more of the same, it will be nice to have a pretty end zone. Argus, and old god assaults get old.

[Raetary]

and for quite some time now

And with "quite some time" you surely mean 3 weeks ago when Zereth Mortis was announced, because that's the only zone we have that resembles something out of Destiny.

[Makorus]

And with "quite some time" you surely mean 3 weeks ago when Zereth Mortis was announced, because that's the only zone we have that resembles something out of Destiny.

lmao as if the Exodar and all of Tempest Keep wasn't more out of place than anything in Zereth Mortis.

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

It has been 1 month since wow community council was announced with no communication on it since or deadline on the form submission.

I mean, I don't expect it to go live before January and even then Blizzard could time it perfectly around 10.0 reveal to start using it as the propaganda tool it is. (I'm half joking, but this is the worst case scenario) Again, my thoughts on the Council is there's too many issues in its' first iteration and it will need to be modified after the bonfire opens and the match is thrown at it from the developers, council members or just the topic they are discussing at hand creating controversy.

Again, the only win for the Council is small stuff for unappreciated communities such as Roleplaying, Customization, Transmog and others. I don't see big wins in the Council and I see the Council as being just an accelerator for much more bad vibes in the community as all arguements on subject matter will be boiled down to "Council said it, you can't say this anymore".

Again, the Council could play off nicely if there are no Self-Destructive Council Members and Developers being actually just normal functioning human beings who can discuss things without getting overly salty and it not devolve into Kotaku articles about Death Threats and the end of Communication in World of Warcraft. But again my ultimate fear with the Council is that it becomes an inferno that melts down all communication and basically ends all forms of communication with the community due to the poor response from the Councils' existence.

Either way, I really hope that the Council just ends up being a way to get nice quirky things implemented that not many people care about beyond the specific player groups in World of Warcraft. I wait with bathed breath on what big scale topics and 10.0 Feature Set feedback will look like and worry a ton about how Blizzard will proclaim the 10.0 Expansion Feature Set as the best with backing up from Council Members. It will become infinitely easier to gaslight the community when the community is forced to accept Developers and Council Members opinion due to their discussions in the Council.

Absolutely, I have no idea what's going to happen with the Council. I'm excited and terrified at the same time.

(Also it's weird there's not a Council for the Classic Community, but again I guess that's just how this whole shebang works out when it is most likely thrown out to public without actual effort put into it.)

[Dracullus]

Do you heard rumors that something involving WoW will happen on game awards? Not expansion, something called "complete edition". WoW on game pass?

[Sondrelk]

Not really. There are frogs and other animals which look slightly robotic. I don't think they look colourful or even remotely interesting. Just lazy. Like, here's a bunch of re-used assets but we made them robotic. Oh and it's totally not just a rehashed Titan creation concept, no no. It's "First Ones tech".

It's a clear design intent that carries through to all the models we see there. Also complaining about reused assets seems silly at this point, we have not gotten a brand new model rig in ages, and when we do they are few and far between and usually reserved solely for unique NPCs like the Jailer.

And sure, they look kinda like Titan stuff, but we have also not gotten a fully titan themed zone since WotLK, and arguably not even then.

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

Do you heard rumors that something involving WoW will happen on game awards? Not expansion, something called "complete edition". WoW on game pass?

Rumour seemed to come from a really weird source. They are still actively adding Gamepad support as recently as last build with Gamepad support for Pet Battles. I doubt we're going to see 10.0 unless the people with the final patch + 1 month = Expansion reveal folk are right again.

Basically the rumour would be that there would be some big news about WoW and also the introduction of WoW to Xbox Consoles with World of Warcraft: Complete Edition. Obviously, some red alarms rang in some peoples head because "Complete" is a weird word to use. But, it could just be because they plan to sell Xbox Copies for 10.0 expansion and its' Complete up till 10.0.

Hard to tell, I don't really put much stock into it. I do think the better Blizzard moves in 10.0 reveal, the better and if Zovaal is just beamed it would make sense to do something at TGA since millions will be watching.

I mean if anything, it's still fun that the rumour exists since I mean waiting for Zovaal's Raid Cinematic to then get Press Event with 10.0 reveal is less exciting imo. Especially if Zovaal didn't succeed in his mission.

[Sondrelk]

Why are players so infatuated with the idea that WoW is going to be added on consoles? Is it really just because FFXIV did and it kinda worked there? Even being really charitable the two are really different in how they play, and gamepad for WoW is possible only in the sense that its also technically possible to play by not using keybinds.

The supposed gamepad reveals have consistently been just around the corner for years now, and they never materialize, and the reason couldnt be more clear: The game isnt built to support the kind of casual gameplay that a gamepad is built for, but rather being designed around mouse and keyboard.

Maybe if WoW really scaled down the complexity, but the game seems to be readding extraneous stuff that players might want, a gamepad would just complicate these things.

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

I feel most of the time that it either stems from people who are console owners who would like to sit on their couch and play WoW (You can already do this) or it's people with highly weird interest in Activision's Business interests and having more platforms for the game would create a new userbase that could be monetized on Consoles.

Also obviously there's the difference in platforms that the cost of entry would be much lower with a Console and a Game Disc of WoW: Complete Edition than a PC/Laptop with Mid Specs (Although WoW runs on literal toasters, so it could be argued this isn't the case either)

I don't know, I've never really understood it either. I think, it would work for everything except Raiding and Rated PVP but hey some people might handicap themselves and show off in a Youtube video that goes viral. I guess.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Well yeah, and with good reason. It's a train-wreck of an expansion.

@_@ Exaggeration continues. Even if I believed that its not for the theme itself.

Not really. There are frogs and other animals which look slightly robotic. I don't think they look colourful or even remotely interesting. Just lazy. Like, here's a bunch of re-used assets but we made them robotic. Oh and it's totally not just a rehashed Titan creation concept, no no. It's "First Ones tech"

Its not lazy, just cause you don't like it doesn't mean its lazy(I know you didn't say that but you are acting like it). Yes there are robotic things that look like titan stuff but neither did gnome stuff but whatever.

And we should continue getting that. It's the freaking reason the WoW universe is popular in the first place. It's a dumb version of Lord of the Rings, easy to enjoy and get immersed into. If faced with the choice, I'd choose ten versions of Kul Tiras over a bunch of swing-and-miss alien concepts like the Shadowlands.

These developers are standing on the shoulders of giants. The reasons they have jobs in the first place is because they happened to be apprentices at Blizzard when people like Metzen steered the ship. But they have no bloody clue about what makes Warcraft so special, judging by the quality of Shadowlands.

BfA was to a large extent probably mapped out by Tom Chilton and the old gang, by the way. The details were probably developed under Hazzikostas though.

The same universe where we have the exodar, alien orcs, alien demons from another realm and such? Stop with this overly drooling over a typical fantasy esque setting. You're getting what you want in 10.0 but Lol @ tom chilton propping BFA up. You have no evidence for this.


The only thing that sounds reasonable is world content which I agree with but a lot of your whining just seems like you haven't payed attention to WoW like at all. For all the whining about how things are alien and "Not warcraft" its like you rather Blizzard stay in Azeroth related stuff forever.

Do you heard rumors that something involving WoW will happen on game awards? Not expansion, something called "complete edition". WoW on game pass?

I did see they are avoiding the Activision/lawsuit stuff. Doesn't mean they'll be at the game awards though.

[shoc]

Come, now. You know at least 70% of the playerbase hates Shadowlands. Why are you so keen on defending it? I'm not whining. In fact, I've played every Warcraft game with a passion since the mid 90s. I know exactly what Warcraft is about. Shadowlands doesn't have it.

Burning Crusade did. BfA kinda did, although it gave us way too much of Sylvanas.

Shadowlands is a step away from everything that defines WoW. Orcs and humans. Azeroth. Seamless open world. Fantasy setting. New classes and races. The list goes on. The only people who enjoy it, I'd wager, are the ones who don't really give a toss about the Warcraft setting in the first place, they just like the core gameplay loops of raiding, doing M+ and so on.

I am still surprised Blizzard went back to isolated zones model for an expansion considering they have not been shy about citing it as the reason why Cataclysm was such a failure.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

I am still surprised Blizzard went back to isolated zones model for an expansion considering they have not been shy about citing it as the reason why Cataclysm was such a failure.

If we're arguing on that front, I don't really see an issue in all honesty, it seems like something superficial to complain about.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

I am still surprised Blizzard went back to isolated zones model for an expansion considering they have not been shy about citing it as the reason why Cataclysm was such a failure.

I think people tend to misrepresent their intentions there.

It isn't that isolated zones are bad, it's that the Cataclysm zones were entirely disconnected from each other. In one you were fighting Ragnaros, in one you were fighting Azshara, in one you were rebuilding a pillar, in one you were fighting Goblin Nazis.

In the Shadowlands every zone has a connected through-line of the Anima drought and the Jailer. And in the end all those non-related threads pull together into the campaign.

[Kiivar86]

Not really. There are frogs and other animals which look slightly robotic. I don't think they look colourful or even remotely interesting. Just lazy. Like, here's a bunch of re-used assets but we made them robotic. Oh and it's totally not just a rehashed Titan creation concept, no no. It's "First Ones tech".

Yet you're asking for colorful versions of what we've seen, in other words here's a bunch of re-used assets but we made them a different color.

And we should continue getting that. It's the freaking reason the WoW universe is popular in the first place. It's a dumb version of Lord of the Rings, easy to enjoy and get immersed into. If faced with the choice, I'd choose ten versions of Kul Tiras over a bunch of swing-and-miss alien concepts like the Shadowlands.

No, we shouldn't. At least, not entirely. Unless you want Spooky Forest #9, sweeping vale #6, and arctic land #5. Yay, such variety.

I'm glad you aren't in control. That is beyond bland.

[huth]

Come, now. You know at least 70% of the playerbase hates Shadowlands.

That's a tall claim. Any evidence for that? As in, actual evidence, not just some easily manipulated online surveys with voluntary participation.

[shoc]

Bad take imo.

Having varied themes across zones is fine, and Cataclysm did have an overarching theme in the form of the Shattering and how it affected everything, and the Twilight's Hammer cult which sought to benefit from it.

The problem with Shadowlands' disconnect is that they are physically separate from one another, and that they are placed inside their own "bubbles" inside the spirit realm. They don't have proper horizons, oceans, and things of that nature. It feels like you're moving from one theme park attraction at Disney World to another, and it kills immersion.

Plus it's a pain to travel having to go through Oribos.

They could have made the Jailer use his megachains to pull the other realms into the Maw. And then all the zones could be connected via massive chains, and clumped much more closely together.

[infinitemeridian]

So are we expecting some sort of announcement at TGA now?

[Foreign Exchange Ztudent]

So are we expecting some sort of announcement at TGA now?

I doubt this as if Zovaal is supposed to be the end of Book 1. They would probably open the book after it rather than prior to it with TGA announcements.

[huth]

I doubt this as if Zovaal is supposed to be the end of Book 1. They would probably open the book after it rather than prior to it with TGA announcements.

"one book" not "book one".

Still, narratively it would make more sense to have people experience what happens in the game before the announcement spoils things. Especially since it isn't terribly likely that we'll see 10.0 go live before the latter part of next year.